[Thee Alex]

Spoiler: In my opinion, the single most devastating shot in the whole of Battlestar Galactica - hope absolutely dashed as the landing party stands in the ruins of New York. - http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k1...icture1-30.png ************************************* I've just watched episode 10 of Battlestar Galactica season 4 again, and I'm trying to get my head around it. I've been thinking a lot recently about the things the Hybrid said in 'Razor' as they seem to have clearly laid out the story arc of the season so far Soon there will be four, glorious in awakening, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity, and in the midst of confusion, he will find her. Enemies brought together by impossible longing, enemies now joined as one. The way forward at once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth, still in shadow, will claw toward the light, hungering for redemption that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all. The seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves without sin, but in time, it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into the many, and then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning. Kara Thrace will lead the human race to its end. She is the herald of the apocalypse, the harbinger of death. They must not follow her. The four are obvious - Tyrol, Anders, Tori and Tigh. The reference to 'he will find her' since revealed to be Leoben finding Kara, leading to the Cylon/Human truce ('the way at once unthinkable'). The Cylon civil war is obviously referred to - 'they will know enmity (etc)'.....all these have been revealed throughout the first 10 episodes of the season. The final mysteries were how Kara would lead the human race to its end, and who the final Cylon is..... Well, this weeks show answered the first question, as Kara's visions finally caused the Colonial fleet (along with their newly adopted Basestar) jumping into orbit above Earth, only to discover it's a radioactive wasteland. She has taken them literally to the place the Human race ended, on Earth at least. This is going to surely lead to despair in the fleet and could cause the surviving Colonials to give up - where can they go now? With the phrase 'All this has happened before, and will happen again' having appeared numerous times in BSG I'm starting to think that the Human race originated on Earth, and fled after a military strike by their own version of the Cylons - the 'Thirteenth Colony' actually being the Human homeworld. If 'all this has happened before', then it's very likely that the Humans of the distant (at least 3000 years previous) past set out to find a new home amongst the stars after being wiped out by their creation (possibly, as I've said, mechanised servants, or it might just have been their own science and weaponry). Winding up on Kobol they managed to screw up again, having to leave the ruins of their colony and, finally, washing up on Caprica etc. Then they did it all again.....ending up having to flee into space after bringing about the destruction of their homes. 'All this has happened before....' indeed. This week's episode was important though, as Lee Adama interrupted the last remaining Three to say that it didn't have to happen again, not if they chose to change things there and then. Maybe this time mankind doesn't fuck it up? The second mystery though.....who is the final Cylon? Was the Three messing with them when she said only 4 were in the fleet? Did she mean that one was on the Basestar with her? If that's the case then I'm really starting to lean towards Baltar being the final model - the writers have tried to make it almost 'too obvious' that it's him, maybe to throw viewers off the scent that it IS him? If Deanna IS lying, and the final model is still in the fleet, I'd guess at it being Felix Gator. Of course, it'll probably turn out to be Karl Agathon..... Whatever happens next, Battlestar Galactica has shown itself to be amongst the finest TV drama ever broadcast, and I can't wait to find out how this story is going to end.